Transcriptomics and targeted metabolomics reveal the regulatory network of Lilium davidii var. unicolor during bulb dormancy release.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Through combined analysis of the transcriptome and targeted metabolome of lily bulbs, the possible molecular mechanism of dormancy release was revealed. Regulation of bulb dormancy is critical for ensuring annual production and high-quality cultivation. The application of low temperatures is the most effective method for breaking bulb dormancy, but the molecular mechanism underlying this response is unclear. Herein, targeted metabolome and transcriptome analyses were performed on Lilium davidii var. unicolor bulbs stored for 0, 50, and 100 days at 4 °C. Dormancy release mainly depended on the accumulation of gibberellins GA4 and GA7, which are synthesized by the non-13-hydroxylation pathway, rather than GA3, and ABA was degraded in the process. The contents of nonbioactive GA9, GA15, and GA24, the precursors of GA4 synthesis, increased with bulb dormancy release. Altogether, 113,252 unique transcripts were de novo assembled through high-throughput transcriptome sequences, and 639 genes were continuously differentially expressed. Energy sources during carbohydrate metabolism mainly depend on glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. Screening of transcription factor families involved in bulb dormancy release showed that MYB, WRKY, NAC, and TCP members were significantly correlated with the targeted metabolome. Coexpression analysis further confirmed that ABI5, PYL8, PYL4, and PP2C, which are vital ABA signaling elements, regulated GA3ox and GA20ox in the GA4 biosynthesis pathway, and XERICO may be involved in the regulation of ABA and GA4 signaling through the ubiquitination pathway. WRKY32, WRKY71, DAM14, NAC8, ICE1, bHLH93, and TCP15 also participated in the ABA/GA4 regulatory network, and ICE1 may be the key factor linking temperature signals and hormone metabolism. These results will help to reveal the bulb dormancy molecular mechanism and develop new strategies for high-quality bulb production.

[Reliability and validity of DSSI-23 scale in a rural elderly population].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the reliability and validity of the Duke Social Support Index (DSSI)-23 scale in a rural elderly population. METHODS: A stratified cluster random sampling strategy was adopted to select 702 rural participants aged 60 years or over in Guangyuan. Those with severe hearing disorders or mental problems were excluded. The reliability and validity of DSSI-23 scale were evaluated using internal consistency, split-half reliability,content validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity and structure validity. RESULTS: The DSSI-23 had a Cronbach's alpha efficient of 0.881 and 0.918 split-half reliability. Item-scale correlation coefficients exceed 0.35 (P<0.01), except for item three. Satisfactory (100%) convergent validity and discriminant validity were found. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) demonstrated unsatisfactory fit with the theoretical model of the scale: chi2/df = 6.884, CFI=0.807, GFI=0.850, RMSEA=0.092. CONCLUSION: DSSI-23 scale has good reliability in the elderly population, but unsatisfactory validity. Further adjustments of the scale are needed.

Association of maternal and paternal risk factors with risk of congenital heart disease in infants: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore maternal and paternal risk factors with risk of congenital heart disease in infants. METHODS: A total of 125 congenital heart disease (CHD) infants and 125 controls were included in Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Shanxi, China. Subjects were diagnosed between Jan 1, 2016 and Dec 31, 2021 in the present study. All the characteristics were collected with questionnaire by face-to-face interview, including maternal and paternal risk factors. Conditional logistic regression was conducted to explore the risk factors with risk of congenital heart disease in infants. RESULTS: For maternal risk factors, we found that age, number of pregnancies, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and body mass index (BMI) were risk factors for CHD infants, and the ORs (95%CIs) were 1.15 (1.06-1.23) for age, 1.13 (1.02-1.29) for SBP, 1.06 (1.02-1.18) for DBP, 1.22 (1.16-1.31) for BMI. Compared with one pregnancy, the ORs (95%CIs) were 1.17 (1.05-1.29) for two pregnancies and 1.25 (1.16-1.47) for more pregnancies. For paternal risk factors, we found that age (OR = 1.07, 95%CI = 1.01-1.19), smoking (OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.03-1.27), drinking (OR = 1.04, 95%CI = 1.02-1.19), and BMI (OR = 1.15, 95%CI = 1.03-1.28) were risk factors for CHD infants. CONCLUSION: We found that age, number of pregnancies, SBP, DBP, and BMI are maternal risk factors for CHD infants. And age, smoking, drinking, and BMI are paternal risk factors for CHD infants.

Effect of salt substitute and antihypertensive medications among high cardiovascular risk patients: A sub-study of Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS).

The relationship between the differential protective effect of salt substitute between hypertensive and normotensive individuals and the use of cardiovascular medications remains unclear. This study involved 4211 individuals with a history of stroke or hypertension who participated in the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS) from 120 villages in Shanxi Province. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in major adverse cardiovascular events and blood pressure changes between the salt substitute and the regular salt group in the subgroups of participants taking different antihypertensive medications. Mixed models were employed and adjusted for the cluster effect (village) and potential confounding variables. During the average follow-up period of 4.66 years, a significantly protective effect of salt substitute on reducing the risk of cardiovascular events was observed in the participants who taking antihypertensive medications (rate ratio: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.95. p = 0.011), whereas no significant effect in participants not taking antihypertensive medications (rate ratio: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.62 to 1.32, p = 0.612). Significant effects to lower systolic blood pressure of the salt substitutes were observed in the participants who took different antihypertensive medications. This study emphasized that the use of salt substitutes might enhance the efficacy of anti-hypertensive medications in lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of adverse cardiovascular events.

Workload, burnout, and medical mistakes among physicians in China: A cross-sectional study.

The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of burnout among different grade hospitals and to examine if a relation exists between burnout and medical mistakes. A multi-center cross-sectional survey was conducted. Physicians were interviewed in hospitals from 10 provinces in China. Burnout was measured using the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey. Overall, 1,537 physicians were included in this study. Of these, 76.9% reported some burnout symptoms or serious burnout symptoms and 54.8% reported committing medical mistakes during the last year. 39.6%, 50.0%, and 59.5% of the respondents in primary, secondary, and tertiary hospitals respectively reported having made mistakes over the course of the previous year. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that being female was protective against medical mistakes (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.58-0.89), whereas physician-reported 60 or more work hours per week (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.22-2.22), and physicians who reported serious burnout (OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.63-3.17) were independently associated with higher incidence of medical mistakes. In conclusion, Chinese physicians reported high workloads, high rates of burnout and high medical mistakes. Physicians in tertiary hospitals were especially overworked and suffered the most serious burnout. Longer work hours per week, and burnout were the independent risk factors for medical mistakes.

[Current situation and relevant risk factors on sexual violence in 18-34 year-olds men in Chengdu].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the current situation and relevant factors on sexual violence in 18-34 year-olds men in Chengdu, in order to provide data for setting up prevention and reduction programs on sexual violence and other related problems. METHODS: By multi-stage random sampling, young men who were 18-34 years old in Chengdu were interviewed and screened. Questionnaire and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess risk factors on sexual violence. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of sexual violence was 17.8% , with factors as child exposure to parent violence/family conflict (P < 0.01), child physical abuse (P < 0.01), alcohol abuse (P < 0.01), anxiety (P < 0.01), disharmony marriage (divorce/widowed/separation) (P < 0.01), marriage status (P < 0.05), depression (P < 0.05) as risk factors of sexual violence. CONCLUSION: The status on sexual violence among young men in Chengdu should not be overlooked and interventions for high-risk populations should be taken urqently.